outdoor | How to Take Care of a Bonsai Tree

Juniper Bonsai

Juniper Bonsai are a well known tree species suitable for bonsai training. They are a fast growing tree known for producing compact foliage with resinous wood. This makes them perfect for growing into the contours of rocks and dead wood. This outdoor bonsai tree is perfect for beginners, because it is very forgiving of mistakes. Typically, those mistakes add character to the tree which can be a blessing in the long run.

Japanese Maple Bonsai

Japanese Maple Bonsai make for an extravagant outdoor bonsai tree. The fall colors it can produce, along with the aged appearance of the trunk, make this a highly sought after bonsai candidate. The leaves of a maple can be easily reduced, which is a requirement on a bonsai species. Defoliating this tree after spring will force the tree to grow leaves back, but in a much smaller form.

Trident Maple Bonsai

Trident Maple are used often as bonsai specimens due to what they offer: large roots that can be trained to root-over rock-formations rather easily. Another aspect of this species is the three-lobed leaves they produce. These leaves turn shades of yellow, orange, and red in the fall and make a stunning fall bonsai. This fast growing tree is quite hardy, but frost can damage them if not protected.

Chinese Elm Bonsai

Chinese Elm Bonsai are perfect as indoor or outdoor bonsai trees. They grow large, aged trunks and small clumped leaves. They can be grown outdoors in areas that do not dip below 20 degrees. If it does drop below that temperature in your area, protect the tree during winter or move it indoors.

Japanese Black Pine

Japanese Black Pine are one of the most classic Pine outdoor bonsai species. They are very vigorous trees that reach impressive heights in the wild. This species is very tolerant of poor soil conditions, growing naturally in barren, stony soils. Black Pine can survive drought and survive dry soil and almost any unwanted conditions. These bonsai are known for their long lifespan and will to survive.

Japanese White Pine

Japanese White Pine make a perfect candidate for an outdoor bonsai tree. These need to be grown outdoors in an area with a winter season to allow dormancy. These trees are hard to grow from seed and are typically grafted onto Black Pine rootstock. These trees are a sort of status symbol in the bonsai community due to the time and effort it takes to grow one successfully.

Bald Cypress

Bald Cypress are a unique bonsai because they require so much moisture to grow. They are typically grown with the soil completely submerged in water. These trees can be grown to look extremely old and beautiful rather quickly. This species is typically grown outdoors because it needs a dormant season in order to survive.

Dogwood Bonsai

Dogwood trees make for some of the most beautiful flowering outdoor bonsai. They produce large white or pink flowers in late fall, followed by large red berries. This fast growing tree can be brought indoors during bloom for display as long as it is returned outdoors after a few days. During the fall, it produces plenty of vibrant colors before the leaves fall.

Japanese Maple Bonsai

Japanese maple trees are one of the most extravagant specimens of bonsai trees regularly available today. They can be grown in formal upright, informal upright, and slanting style outdoor bonsai. These trees are regularly trained as bonsai due to their spectacular colors, decent growth rate, and overall scalability. Another strong case for using Japanese maples for your miniature tree is the fact that there are many cultivators, or genetic strains, that already grow dwarfed and are easily trained. I will cover the basic strategies that are essential to understand when owning and training a Japanese maple bonsai.

Watering Japanese Maple Bonsai

As always, we suggest that you check your miniature tress daily for moisture, but this species will probably need to be watered every day during the growing season, and every other or every third day in winter, depending on your soil drainage.

Placement of your Japanese Maple Bonsai

Japanese maple bonsai are typically grown in temperate zones and need a real or simulated winter, where they can go dormant, in order to survive. For this reason, these trees are typically outdoor bonsai. This type of tree typically is grown in partial shade, but you must ensure it does get some daytime sun because this is what creates the red pigment in the fall. It is essential that you keep this tree in shady areas in early spring to prevent leaf burn. Newly sprouted leaves are susceptible to sun damage for about a week after sprouting.

Training Japanese Maple Bonsai

Leaf pruning is conducted throughout the growing season to scale back growth and balance the tree. New shoots should be pinched back in areas of the tree that do not require new growth in order to force the tree to grow in other areas. This tree can be defoliated in midsummer if the tree is healthy. This process forces the tree to grow new leaves by removing the older, larger leaves. The new leaves will grow back smaller, and thus increase the foliation of the tree. Branch pruning is ordinarily conducted in autumn after the leaves fall to avoid an abundance of bleeding.

Repotting Japanese Maple Bonsai

Repot this species every other year to replace the soil that has had all nutrients washed away. Maple prefer a soil with good drainage. Cut back up to one third on the roots to ensure the tree does not become rootbound.

Fertilizing Japanese Maple Bonsai

It is very important to fertilize Japanese maple bonsais with a good slow release formula to encourage vigorous growth. Feed this tree every week throughout the growing season to help encourage rapid growth.